Ready? Set? GO! 2024 WIDA Annual Conference registration is open

We’re headed to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and we hope to see you there for the 2024 WIDA Annual Conference (#WIDA2024)! The in-person event runs October 16-18, 2024. For those who can’t attend in person, a virtual track is available on October 15.  

Whether you’re looking to attend for the first time or a regular at the WIDA Annual Conference, we’re excited to have you! This conference is truly unique in that it’s a conference by teachers, for teachers. It gives thousands of educators of Pre-K through grade 12 multilingual learners, from around the globe, the opportunity to share best practices and discover innovative classroom strategies.

Watch the video below to learn what was overheard at last year's conference.

#WIDA2024 theme

Our theme this year, Bridging Cultures, Empowering Multilingual Voices, is an ode to the many bridges of Pittsburgh, PA and the essential work that educators like you do to uplift multilingual learners.

Here’s what Tim Boals, WIDA founder and director, had to say about this year’s conference:

“We never want to lose sight of who this work is ultimately for—multilingual learners. They are our North Star. With the WIDA Annual Conference, we’re committed to bringing you tangible strategies, resources and connections that you can take back to these learners. We hope to bring you sessions that will empower you to empower your students!”

#WIDA2024 headliner

Quiara Alegría Hudes is the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of "Water by the Spoonful"; author of a memoir, “My Broken Language”; and screenwriter for the major motion picture “In the Heights”. Previously, she wrote the book (aka script) for the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical and Hollywood blockbuster “In the Heights” and authored other plays and musicals that have been produced around the world. Her notable essays include "High Tide of Heartbreak" in American Theater Magazine and "Corey Couldn’t Take It Anymore" in The Cut. In opposition of the carceral state, Hudes and her cousin founded Emancipated Stories, a platform where people behind bars can share one page of their life story with the world. As a barrio feminist and joyous mischief maker, Quiara y su hermana created the Latinx Casting Manifesto.

But wait, there’s more! For the first time ever, we’ll offer a virtual keynote. In-person attendees will have recording access to the virtual keynote. Keep reading to learn more.

#WIDA2024’s virtual track

We’re taking your input and making some changes to the virtual track this year. It will be one full day of live sessions on October 15, 2024. These sessions are curated from the in-person conference and tailored to a virtual audience.

And drumroll ... We’re having a virtual keynote for the first time!

Jo Napolitano spent nearly two decades reporting for The New York Times, Chicago Tribune and Newsday before winning a Spencer Education Fellowship to Columbia University in 2016; she was paid to attend the Graduate School of Journalism so she could write a long-form piece on young immigrants.

That story morphed into a book. “The School I Deserve: Six Young Refugees and Their Fight for Equality in America” was published by Beacon Press in Spring 2021. A sought-after public speaker, Napolitano lectures across the country about the often-overlooked potential of newcomer students. And while she has reported on many topics throughout her award-winning career, education remains her primary focus. Napolitano is a two-time Education Writers Association Fellow.

Virtual attendees will also get to live stream the in-person keynote.

Register for #WIDA2024!

Registration rates

• In-person conference: The early-bird rate is $680 and is available May 13-July 31.
• Virtual track: The advance rate, available May 6-September 6, for the live virtual track rate is $225. A recording-only option is also available for $155.
• Note: In-person and live virtual track registration also includes post-event access to recordings.

Ready to register? Head on over to the Registration page to reserve your seat. Reminder: Pre-registration is required for all conference concurrent sessions. Review the entire session schedule so you are prepared to select your choices at registration.